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Marine Species

More than half of marine species in the world may be at risk of extinction. Despite this grave situation, the U.S. has largely failed to protect marine species under laws like the Endangered Species Act. Of the over 2,000 species protected under the Act, less than 5 percent are marine species. Among the most serious threats to marine species worldwide is the voracious human appetite for seafood. Many groups of marine species, including sharks, groupers, and whales, are heavily impacted by anthropogenic threats including destructive fishing methods like trawling and long-lining, pollution, climate change and ocean acidification.

Marine Species’ Work:

September 2014- The Nassau grouper has been proposed to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in response to a 2010 petition filed by WildEarth Guardians. Read more in their press release.

August 2014- Friends of Animals filed a petition with the National marine Fisheries Service to protect heavily exploited common thresher sharks under the Endangered Species Act due to severe threats from fishing, both for sport and consumption, around the world. Read our news brief here or download the full petition right here.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (Fisheries Service) this week listed five species of sturgeon as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of severe threats posed by human exploitation, dams and pollution. The finding comes in response to a March 2012 petition by WildEarth Guardians and Friends of Animals. Sturgeon are described by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the most imperiled group of animals on earth. The five species of ancient fish live in rivers and seas in Europe and Asia. Read the full press release here. A copy of the listing rule can be read here.